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Description

Though Toe Crack is not its own route it is done on its own more often than not so I figured I'd add it as a route.... It is actually the second pitch of Repulsion (5.8+) which is not too popular due to being a bit spicy.... If you are looking to climb a perfect 5.7 hand crack, Toe Crack is for you for sure...It is also one of the first cracks to dry after rain which adds to its allure....

Pitch 1: (5.5) Start on the ramp that leads up and right to Turner's Flake.... When you get under Turner's, step down and right (tricky at the grade) and over to a stance below the beautiful crack.... Belay from here or keep climbing but think of rope drag and your partners safety on the traverse move and protect accordingly....

Pitch 2: (5.7) Climb the crack for about 100ft. It doesn't get much finer at the grade.... a #3 cam is helpful and you may want a 3.5 if you are shaky at the grade...The jams are good and so are the feet, but the gear is a little weird in parts 'cause the crack isn't perfectly splitter.... Just look at your cams before you move on instead of stuffing them blindly (always a bad idea).... When the crack ends, move right into Standard Route (5.7) and belay at a fixed rap anchor on a tree or build and anchor at a thread...One rap with double ropes gets you back to the ground....

Finish: you have choices if you don't feel like rappeling.... You can continue up Standard Route (5.7) or Repulsion (5.8+), or trail blaze left on fun, low-angle, face climbing (it protects well but you can't really tell from below) over to the 2nd belay on Thin Air (5.6) and finish up that....

Location

Just right of Turner's Flake (5.8) look for the hard to miss perfect hand crack, that screams to be climb....

Great route. From the end of the crack one can climb the arete above to a belay on right in the Standard Route Crack. An option from there is to traverse high across the face to the third belay ledge on Thin Air. Aim for a right facing corner with a tree. The belay is just above the corner. The traverse is easy (5.3?) but unprotected.
Oct 6, 2007

Hm, on pitch 1, I think the crux is before you reach Turner's, on the hand traverse once the ramp ends. And as you approach the belay ledge, it is helpful to place as high in the crack as possible so as to protect the second, then downclimb it to the ledge.
Jan 17, 2009

Not an easier option really but more direct (and fun) is to start up the first pitch of Repulsion (5.8) it is a slab and crack pitch leading up directly under the Toe Crack... Start up a dike to a bolt then move left on tricky moves between finger cracks protected by TCUs then over a slight bulge to belay at the base of Toe Crack...
Jan 17, 2009

I did this route straight up from the stairway looking dike. I also did the whole thing in one pitch. No need to break it up into two, just don't get caught up with rope drag in the beginning of the climb. I linked this climb up with Thin Air. You can do two rappels with a 60 meter rope.
Jun 11, 2013

there is some small gear, some tricky placements and whether you find the right spots will depend on the exact line you take... if you are good with gear craft and comfortable at the grade it shouldn't be a big deal and you should be able to keep it safe... but i wouldn't bring a total beginner up there as a second unless i knew exactly where i was going... all i can say since its been a few years since ive done it...
Oct 10, 2013

Having just followed the route from Toe Crack to Thin Air I can attest that it can really go either way. The traverse to thin air is tricky to protect, but solely dependent on the route taken.(Several variations high and low, the high line has great feet that link across two grassy spots and thin face hands (awkward pro), whereas if you were lower you would have great hands and protection, but terrible feet) The placements along the high route seemed tricky. Like Lee said if you are solid in the grade and feel comfortable there are spots to protect the route. A fall here either as a leader or second could be disastrous.
Sep 22, 2015

The direct first pitch 5.8 start (Retaliation) is useful in that you can run both pitches together without too much rope drag, but if you can't get a tricam in the sort of nothing cracks up there, the slab moves will be fairly heady for the leader... the pro will likely be at or below your feet...
Oct 7, 2015

if you plan to cross over into thin air, belay from the nasty cave and start directly at the top of toe crack. I belayed from above the boulder/cave on the tree, then did a boulder problem into P3 of standard route (there appears to be two) and crossed from the second tree. this traverse was ~50ft of 5.5 with only one piton. not hard, but kind of R, especially for the second
Jul 31, 2017

Amazing route. With enough gear, it is G-rated from start to finish. I found the 5.5 first pitch to be a joy, it's great technical climbing. Definitely bring some extra gear, especially if you are linking the pitches. #.75-#3 cams and big nuts are especially useful. If you're pushing your limits on this, you wouldn't regret triples of #1 and #2 cams.

It looked like you could get down in two raps with a single rope, rather than tagging a second line up. There was a pin anchor with rap rings (on the older side) and a nicer looking station with rap rings off the birch tree 10-20' below it, both directly below the tree anchor on top of Toe Crack. I can't confirm that a 60m would reach the birch tree station, but I'm sure a 70m would. Knot your ends and use your best judgment.
Sep 17, 2018